December 8, 2006

I am thrilled to announce that Good Will Hinton has been picked as a finalist for Best Centrist Blog for the 2006 Weblog Awards. This nomination is a reflection of all the great contributors, commentors, and readers here. Unlike some of the other nominees, I'm not sure that many of the individual contributors or commentors are particularly centrist in their viewpoints. However, as a collective group, we represent a centrist rhetoric with the desire for charitable and reasonable dialogue with those we disagree with.

Big thanks go out first of all to Expat Teacher, with whom I have had a ongoing debate with for almost two years. I consider Mike a friend and greatly appreciate his good faith participation and the daily challenge he provides me.

I'd also like to recognize the great contributions of Curt Portzel, Dustin Kidd, Joseph Knippenberg, Jim Keffer, Rusty Tanton, Amber Rhea, Marc Porlier, gurufrisbee, CAC, Scott McD, jpe, and Brian Janaszek for their posts and comments. I am amazed at the conversations that have taken place over the past week or so that, in any other place, would have degenerated into terrible flame wars, but have been examples of people from opposite ends of the political/social/religious spectrum being willing to engage one another.

So now the voting begins to determine the winner. The voting lasts for the next ten days. I would greatly appreciate your vote for Good Will Hinton each of the next ten days so that we can have a good showing. Your vote will show that you have faith and hope for a renewed civil public square.

A vote for me, on the other hand, symbolizes what broad propositions and general principles? I mean, what does voting for me say about you? Does it mean you're -- gasp! -- not a good person? Does it mean you're not all about faith and hope? It's the Weblog Awards, your chance to reaffirm values. Or just vote for the blogs you like to read.

You've already voted yourself a more lasting fame. When the history of the Bush assault on the constitution is written, it will be hard for savvy chroniclers to pass up your "maybe he was blinking in code" tidbit, when describing the way that much of the country had no problem with things like torture. Unfairly or not, this will be your legacy, not 'Best Centrist of 2006'.

Quinto: That blinking in code thing was taken ridiculously out of context, by people who lack the honesty even to link to the context. The official term for bloggers like that is "disreputable slimeball." As upholders of moral standards, they are a joke.

A 19th century abolitionist who, attempting to fine-tune an argument with the opposite camp, uttered the phrase "it is not impossible that there are slaves who are happy with their lot" -- and then lived to see that expression quoted, out of context, as an expression of her core beliefs -- that person would understandably feel misrepresented and maliciously slimed. Ms. A., no-one thinks you thought that the person formerly known as Jose Padilla was likely to 'blink in code'; as I recall, you were making the point that it was not IMPOSSIBLE to imagine a reason why the govt would want to put goggles on the unindited torturee. A rhetorical flourish, attacking not Mr. Padilla but the rhetorical excesses of those attacking his treatment. Perhaps you have other posts that I have not seen that tackle the issue of the Americanism and constitutionality of torture, which reveal the lefties seizing on the 'code-blinking' meme to be not only a low blow but also unfair.

In fact, I do. Here's one, for example. But I don't keep up a drumbeat on the subject. I rarely write about the war and surrounding matters. It's not really what I do. I'm not going to adjust my selection of topics to appease those people, who wouldn't be fair to me anyway. I'm not blogging for them or in response to them. But I see what they are doing and I know they are disreputable slimeballs (a technical term).

Gee, Ann. I was the one who first questioned on one of your boards why they would need a blindfold and who you responded to about the 'code blinking' the other day. I'm disappointed to think you consider me a 'disreputable slimeball.'

And I had just voted for your blog as 'best centrist blog' (which I still consider to be the case, BTW.) Maybe I should edit my sidebar though and remove your link if you really think that.

Eli: You asked the original question in the comments and I responded. You're only a DS if you're one of the people who took it out of context outside of that thread and distorted what it meant and tried to make me look like a proponent of torture.